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Jul 30, 2013

Writer Ramblings: What Fantasy Football Taught Me About Writing

Let me
explain how I’ve learned a few things, after you’re done laughing at the
concept of learning anything about writing from a game that completely revolves
around numbers, watching grown men wrestle for a ball, and showboat like
eight year olds after scoring a touchdown. I really have learned a few things. I
didn’t post a weapons post last week because I’ve had my head buried in the new
outline for Devil Dog and studying football players for the NFL, lots and lots
and lots and lots of studying stats, history, updates on injuries, etc. This
Friday I’ll have a weapons post up for sure.

So what does
Fantasy Football have to do with writing? Something that I feel writers should
take very seriously. RESEARCH. Success in fantasy football is not all luck.
There is some luck, but in the leagues I play in, you can tell who is
researching thorough enough. By researching everything you can and staying on top
of all the latest developments, you give yourself an edge that allows you to
open up the opportunity to win despite luck. The same goes for writing, even in
fiction. If the writer researches to make the details he includes in the book
to be accurate, then people who are familiar with whatever it is, will feel
it’s authentic and respect the writer.

Respect is
important. All my life, I’m the guy who doesn’t care what anyone thinks about
me. I didn’t care if people liked me or not. I still don’t. That’s just me.
However, I do love to earn respect from people, especially my peers. This is
why I still haven’t published a novel. I’m still researching the topics,
scenes, locations and character types to make sure it’s as realistic and
authentic as it can be.

In writing
anything, writers need to educate themselves. I have read some books where the
author completely botches the details. They obviously had no experience with
the subject, and yet didn’t think to ask an expert or Google the topic. There
are many movies that screw up the details too. Most often, people don’t notice
the mistakes, because they don’t know how it’s supposed to work or they suspend
reality for the sake of entertainment. Me? No. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy
movies or books that are obviously not researching the details, but I refuse to
publish something that makes me look like I’m an idiot. Okay, I’ll settle for
not being a complete idiot at least.

Devil Dog is
a story revolving around a marine. Devil Dog is being rewritten again, because
I have yet to impress the marines that have looked at it. Marines are proud. I
don’t want to disappoint them, or disrespect them. The great thing about
marines is that they don’t mind talking about being a marine either. So why
wouldn’t I use this resource to research everything about the marines from
tactical formations, strategies, lingo, and weaponry?

Some people
write fantasy, dystopian or scifi to avoid research, but I say research the
stuff in those fields. You want to write the next Star Wars or Star Trek?
Starting reading and watching everything NASA. You’d be shocked at some of the
things they are planning in our very near future. They have a plan to not only
colonize Mars, but to turn it into a mini-Earth. A recent movie came out where
they are going to explore Europa. NASA is actually planning to do something
like that with robots. Don’t think fantasy the ultimate exception either.
Sometimes studying about ancient cultures and religions that you can blend into
your characters can give them a depth and variety that you may not have come up
with on your own.

If you play
fantasy football, good luck this year… unless you’re in one of my leagues.

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